'Nikita' star Maggie Q to explore Irish roots

Nikita star Maggie Q has revealed that she hopes to explore her Irish ancestry.

The Hawaii-born actress's father is of Irish and Polish descent and she told RTÉ Ten that she is keen to learn more about his family.

Maggie Q said: "I believe that my father's father was Irish. My father kept his Irish last name, Quigley. People still think that I can't speak English for some reason. It's bizarre.

"I've never been to Ireland but it's one of the things I want to do. I know my Asian roots, having lived there for some time, but I haven't done the Irish side yet. And I'm doing it, believe me, I'm going there soon."

The 32-year-old confessed that she finds it "both amazing and horrifying" to have landed the lead role in The CW's Nikita.

She said of being a lead Asian-American actress: "I'm very proud of that. Warner Bros said they were not looking for the right blonde actress or the right blue-eyed actress, they were looking for the person who was going to embody the spirit of this character and bring her to life.

"Nikita has been played by Caucasian leads in the past. I am not the obvious choice for this character, so this thinking outside the box is happening in Hollywood, but it has been a long time coming."

Maggie Q added: "It shouldn't be about your ethnicity, it should be about whether you're the right actress. But as we know, life doesn't always work out like that."